Committee Passes 5-cent Gasoline Tax

TALLAHASSEE — A bill that would allow counties to raise gasoline taxes from 1 cent to 5 cents a gallon cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday.

Strongly supported by senators from urban areas, the bill is designed to help local governments that are already levying the maximum amount in gasoline taxes but that have tremendous transportation problems. The bill is expected to pass the Senate before the legislative session ends next week, but it appears headed for trouble in the House, where leaders have expressed little interest in it.

Proposed by Sens. Bob Johnson, R-Sarasota, and Jack Gordon, D-Miami Beach, the bill (CS/CS/SB 1022) would allow counties to impose the tax with a majority-plus-one vote. The money could be used to improve local or state roads, with the state ultimately reimbursing the county for money spent on state highways. Local governments could impose the tax just on gasoline or on gasoline and diesel fuel.

Local governments currently can impose up to 7 cents per gallon in gasoline taxes. That is in addition to the 18.7 cents per gallon imposed by the federal and state governments.

''This is really a long-range planning tool for local governments,'' Johnson said. ''The bottom line is that we're $17 billion short in revenue and every 12 days we're getting 10,000 people in the state who bring 6,400 cars with them. I don't know how we catch up unless we do something.''